The present invention is directed to a novel method for making metal cabinetry and other metal objects more aesthetically pleasing to the end user. More particularly, the present invention involves the application of thermofoil surface finish to metal substrate as will be described in greater detail below.
Thermofoil surface finish is well known in the cabinetry industry, so will not be discussed in detail herein. However, briefly stated, thermofoil is a thin polymeric material (commonly a plasticized polyvinyl chloride) that is thermoformed, under vacuum pressure to a substrate, thus giving the substrate a durable top coat or surface finish. Thermofoil comes in a number of finishes, including high and low sheen, metallic-like finishes and faux wood grain finishes. The process of applying thermofoil generally involves the steps of (1) preparing the substrate, (2) applying adhesive to the substrate and/or thermofoil, (3) placing the thermofoil layer over the substrate, and (4) heating the thermofoil while under vacuum to cause the thermofoil to stretch and form to the underlying substrate (normally accomplished using a vacuum membrane press). Up to this point, thermofoil has generally been applied to various wood-based surfaces since wood is easily contoured and shaped. However, the present invention discloses a novel method that allows the application of thermofoil to an unformed metal substrate that can then be subsequently formed to a final product, thus resulting in a more aesthetically pleasing outcome.
As just mentioned, thermofoil is most commonly applied to a wood or fiberboard substrate. More particularly, it is frequently applied to medium density fiberboard (MDF). Fiberboard lends itself well to such applications because it can be easily milled to different profiles over which the thermofoil can be applied. Thus, when used in cabinetry applications, a faux wood grain thermofoil can be used to give the appearance of milled solid wood cabinetry at significantly reduced cost. The same is likewise true if a solid colored thermofoil is used—it gives the appearance of painted solid wood, but provides a much more durable finish than a painted surface, and can generally be done at a lower cost.
In contrast to wood-based substrates, working with thermofoil on metal substrates can be difficult for a number of reasons. Often, pre-formed or pre-machined metal substrates are shaped in such a way that it is impossible to apply thermofoil to the part, or even if thermofoil can be applied to the part, it is simply not practical to place these parts in the vacuum membrane press during the thermofoil application process. In addition, because these parts are metal, they often have sharp edges that can easily damage the vacuum membrane press during thermofoil application. Because of these and other issues, thermofoil has historically not been used in applications in which it is applied to a metal substrate. Rather, paints, powder coatings, and the like have become the standard coating or covering used in finishing metal surfaces.
In certain heavy-use applications, it is often beneficial to construct cabinetry out of metal. One preferred metal for use in manufacturing metal cabinetry is steel, although aluminum or other metals or alloys could be used in other embodiments of the present invention. Steel provides superb durability as well as excellent strength when compared to its weight. However, in certain applications the aesthetic appeal of steel cabinets finished in a single color paint or powder coat finish is not ideal. To address this, manufacturers have previously offered cabinetry comprising a steel cabinet body with cabinet doors made of MDF finished with a faux wood grain thermofoil. The thermofoil cabinet doors in combination with an appropriate countertop allows the cabinet to be much more aesthetically appealing, yet still sufficiently durable for heavy-use applications. While such an arrangement offers clear advantages, it does not fully eliminate aesthetic concerns, as the metal body of the cabinet is still unable to be offered in more aesthetically pleasing finishes such as faux wood grain or other finish selected to match accompanying cabinet doors.
The present invention addresses this need by providing a method of applying thermofoil to a metal substrate to produce an aesthetically pleasing result while also remaining relatively easy to apply and process.